Head Over Heels
by forgetwheretheheartis
Summary: Shea Mattson is a simple kindergarten teacher with an exceptional skill in communication. When Captain America is found and revived, she is asked to help. Shea never imagined that she'd not only meet her childhood hero, but also fall in love. What she doesn't expect is the chaos that ensues when Loki lands on earth and the Avengers are assembled. Steve/OC
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! Here is a new story of mine, I hope you enjoy it! I do not own anything but my OC Shea. This story will follow the course through the Avengers and through Captain America: The Winter Soldier and maybe Age of Ultron depending on when I see it and how that goes. Anyways. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter One<p>

There were only six words that Shea hated to hear, and these were the same words that Phil Coulson had just spoken to her. "We need you to come in." He said with a seriousness that shook her to the core. Her emerald eyes closed at the sound of his words. She hated hearing those, especially when it was her time off. Unresponsive, Shea contemplated hanging up the phone, but he spoke again in enough time for her to come to her senses. "It's everything we imagined Shea, he is alive."

Those words caught her attention. Jumping up from her laying position on the couch from her soft brown couch, she ran across her apartment to her bedroom. She walked into her closet and grabbed her purple suitcase from the top shelf of the closet before throwing her entire wardrobe into the large case. "When?" She asked him.

"They found him last night in the Arctic, just like I said they would." He stated and Shea couldn't help but shake her head. Most everyone thought that her father had been crazy in his feeling that Captain America was actually alive, now he could prove them wrong. She couldn't help but smile at the excitement in her father's voice. "They need you to talk to him, they don't know how long it will take him to wake up, but they think within 24 hours. SHIELD wants you here when he wakes up."

"I'll be there by the afternoon tomorrow. I have to drive up to San Francisco." Shea told him before hanging up the phone. Currently she was enjoying her time off from her job for the summer. Being a kindergarten teacher had its ups and downs. Many people wouldn't think a kindergarten teacher would be an agent of SHIELD. But her talents came with talking to others. Her communication skills were what brought her to the agency's attention. That, and the fact that most of them had known her the entire 22 years she had lived on earth.

It didn't take her long to finish packing her bag and adding some personal items into the case. In addition to this, Shea quickly got online and found herself a one way ticket to New York City. After purchasing her ticket, she headed to bed wanting to be at her best when in meeting her childhood hero in the morning. Setting her alarm, she drifted off to into the land of her dreams, which were coincidentally filled with visions of Captain America himself….

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><p>"Thank you for flying with us, we should be on the ground within a few minutes. Please remained seated with your seatbelts fastened until we have landed." The flight attendant stated. Shea took a deep breath. If she had to explain to anyone what happened she couldn't find the words for her excitement. Thankfully, she had enough sick days stacked up that taking time off wouldn't be a problem for her. She adjusted her seatbelt to make it a little tighter for the landing. Shea then placed her laptop into her bag before placing it back under the seat in front of her. Glancing out of the window, she looked at the city that would soon be her home for whoever knows how long. She took another deep breath before placing her hands on the armrests and closed her eyes, waiting for the plane to land.<p>

Once she felt the familiar bump of the plane landing, she let go of the arm rests and opened her eyes to see that they were safely on the ground. The plane slowly taxied to the gate and when it came to a stop, Shea was the first one to stand up and stretch out her. Thankfully, she got her short height from her mother and was one of those rare people who could stand up in an airplane and not hit their head on the overhead compartment. While she was waiting, she pulled up her red hair into a bun. Patiently waiting for her turn, she grabbed her bags and made her way off of the airplane. Shea navigated her way to the baggage claim to grab her case. As she made her way down the escalator, she saw a familiar face with a sign that said 'Miss Mattson'. She rolled her green eyes as she walked over and came to a stop in front the man who was wearing normal clothing for once in his life. "Out of everyone, they sent you to pick me up?" She asked the male that stood in front of her.

"Well, it got me off base for a while, I was going cross-eyed." He stated looking down at her. Shea gave him a smile before giving her old friend a huge hug, which he returned with enthusiasm. "Who else would Coulson send to pick you up?"

"I wouldn't have imagined anyone else." She said with a laugh. "I missed my big brother Clint. But seriously was the sign necessary?" Shea asked grabbing the sign out of his hands and gently whacking him in the chest with it before stepping back to avoid any retaliation.

"Let's get your stuff and go. He should be waking up soon." Clint stated with seriousness in his voice. Shea nodded her head. Something seemed off with him, but she didn't want to say it outright. Though, she did know how many sleepless nights he had from everything that happened with SHIELD as well as in his past.

"Does this look okay?" She asked referring to her outfit; spinning around to show him as she fiddled a bit with her skirt. She had carefully chosen a white blouse that had a ruffle down the middle and a ruffle at the hem, a dark grey pencil skirt and a pair of black flats. He nodded his head giving her a smile.

"Yeah, you're fine, nervous about meeting your childhood icon I take it?" He asked. Shea hit him in the stomach, as was usual when he said something idiotic, but he didn't even flinch.

"You're hilarious." Shea rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm to drag him along, not wanting to waste any more time. The two walked over to the baggage claim, where her purple suitcase had just arrived on the circling metal oval. Clint reached over and grabbed it before it could get too far away from them. "What a gentleman."

"Ha! Let's go." He stated before heading to the airport exit and towards a large black SUV. Clint placed the suitcase into the trunk as Shea got into the passenger seat. It wasn't long until he got into the car along with her, starting the car without buckling his seatbelt.

"How have you been?" She asked him, as he pulled out of the parking lot and made his way towards headquarters. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I've been fine, observing mostly."

"Observing what?"

"The tesseract." He said. "Though you shouldn't know about that so don't tell." She nodded her head to reassure him, it was another thing that happened with her constantly. When she was younger, she would always try to get her father to tell her secrets. When that failed, as it most always did, she would go to Clint who would then tell her more than she needed to know. "How is teaching going?"

"I love it! I know you and Tasha took bets on how long I would remain a teacher, but I think that I'm in it for the long haul." Shea explained to him, however he shook his head.

"Nah, it won't be forever. You'll miss being an agent too much." He said, glancing at her quickly and smiling slightly. Shea rolled her eyes again, a usual occurrence when they were together.

"I was an agent for a few months." She argued but the man driving the car scoffed.

"And you don't regret it do you?" He asked. Shea already knew that Clint knew the answer. Of course she missed being an agent, even if it was only for a short period of time. It was something that she did her best to forget. Now she was just Miss Mattson kindergarten teacher. There was nothing special about her other than her communication skills. "Aw, come on, Shea. I didn't mean to piss you off."

"You didn't." She said quickly.

"Alright, you wouldn't have any argument if I took you and Natasha out for dinner tonight then?"

"Oh, it's Natasha now?" Shea asked, her voice full of intrigue. This time, it was Clint's turn to be silent.

"I'm going to drop you off out front. I'll take your stuff to your apartment since I know where the spare key is." Shea shook her head as she stared out the window.

"Of course." She mumbled as he came to a stop at the curb near the front of the SHIELD building. "Thanks for the ride."

"Don't forget dinner tonight at 8! The usual spot I-" He started to say, but Shea got out of the car and slammed the door shut on him before he could finish. She gave him a half hearted wave before watching him shake his head and drive off. Shea stood in front of the building and took a deep breath.

Well, this was it.

Something was about to change in her life and she absolutely couldn't wait. Adjusting the black bag on her shoulders, she took a step forward. Suddenly, the seemingly calm building in front of her came to life. Pausing, she raised an eyebrow as a male came running down the hallway and out to the street, running right past her. Her face turned into a puzzle as she did her best to place the male that ran past her wearing a white t-shirt with the SSR logo on it and a pair of khaki pants, but she couldn't quite recall. As she stepped into the building she realized exactly who it was.

Captain Steve Rogers.

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><p>Please feel free to share your thoughts by reviewing!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again! Here is chapter two! Thank you to all who favorited and followed and a special thanks to Emerlyn452 for reviewing! I appreciate all of the love that you guys have given me! Another special thanks to Jo for editing this! I hope you enjoy!

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><p>Shea stood silently for a few moments outside of the large building, trying to process what she had just seen. Apparently she was a little late in arriving here, considering that Captain Rogers had clearly woken up and tried to escape from whatever they were doing to him. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the large grey building. Now inside, she witnessed the aftermath; a mess of papers scattered all over the faux wood floor in addition to agents scrambling to clean up the documents. Clearly whatever plan they had for when Captain Rogers woke up failed miserably. Glancing around, Shea hoped to spot a familiar face, which she did almost instantly . "Dad." Shea whispered to herself with a smile before rushing up and throwing her arms around him.<p>

The two had always been close since her mother abandoned them when she was just a child. From his stories, her mother had told her father that she was leaving because he put Shea and SHIELD above her and everything else. Coulson didn't seem to mind that his wife left him, at least that is how Shea remembered it. She could be entirely wrong about that fact, the man was known for hiding things well. Shea couldn't remember much of her mother, but she did remember asking when she would be returning, to which her father never gave an answer. A few days after she left is when Shea was introduced to the world of SHIELD, meeting Nick Fury for the first time. Shea referred to him as a pirate, and he has never let her live it down ever since. But then again, she still calls him that from time to time.

"How was your flight?" Coulson asked, returning his daughters hug before taking a step back. Shea smiled and tilted her head slightly, glancing over her father. He looked just as she remembered. Not a single thing had changed about him, nothing ever did.

"It was fine, good as it was ever going to be. Thanks for sending Clint, it was nice to see him again. He said he was taking my stuff to my apartment and then I'm going to dinner with him and Nat. Is there anything I should know about before this dinner?" She prodded, trying to get something out of him about their relationship, or at least a denial of one. Coulson shook his head, not giving any response to her statement, making her believe that he knew just about as much as she did- which was nothing.

"Well then, dinner tomorrow? I want to hear all about your job and life, who knows maybe I'll take a few days off and come to visit. For now, you need to report for duty. Agent Ward is going to take you up to your room and once your subject is back in the building we can send him up to you." Shea's eyes widened at the mentioning of Agent Ward.

"Agent Ward? Does he know why I'm here?" Her father shook his head. She rolled her eyes and gave him a groan. "Does he have too?"

"Play nice Shea."

"No." She snapped back as her hands balled into fists, not even wanting to be in the same room as Agent Ward.

"Too bad. Here he is." Coulson stated, waggling his eyebrows a bit as the tall dark male approached the two of them who had been standing in the middle of the lobby. Shea did her best not to narrow her eyes as Grant came closer, breathing through her nose in an attempt to calm herself. Coming to a stop directly between them, he flashed Shea a welcoming smile which made her blood boil . She gave him a quick "polite" smile back before looking over at her father, who had gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "I will call you later to make sure everything goes okay." He said, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly before turning and leaving the pair.

"Agent Mattson," Agent Ward stated looking down at the rather short woman.

"You know i'm not an Agent anymore, Grant." She informed him, speaking his name with a bit of indignation. He gave her a smirk and she rolled her eyes again with a bit of exaggeration to emphasize her annoyance with his mere presence.

"Oh, I'm aware of this. I assure you."

"I'm not going to get into this with you, can you just do your job for once and tell me where I need to go?" She stated folding her arms across her chest and looking off to the side, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Still feisty I see." She could practically hear him smirking through his words.

"Oh you know nothing." Shea stated before she noticed him walking towards an elevator that was off to the left side of the lobby. Reluctantly following, she watched as he hit the up arrow, patiently waiting for the familiar ding of the elevator approaching. All she wanted to do was get the short elevator ride over with, so that she could go a long time without having to see Agent Ward again. Once the elevator doors opened, she stepped in with Grant behind her.

"How is Monterey?" He asked, which caused her eyes to pop open as she whipped around and looked at him wildly.

"Have you been spying on me?" She questioned him as he reached across her to hit the 12 button. The doors closed, trapping them together if only for a few moments.

"Now what would make you say that?"

"The only people who knew I was there was Coulson, Barton and Romanov." Ward remained silent at her words. The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened and Shea gratefully exited. Waiting for Grants lead, he walked ahead and she followed as he led them through the labyrinth of doors and hallways that would take her to the room. Finally he came to a stop at a doorway near the end of the hallway that had a beautiful view of Town Square. Captivated by the scenery, she smiled as she took it in, not noticing he had already opened the door for her. "Thank you." Shea said politely, making her way inside.

"You know, I never stopped caring for you." Grant informed her, his voice softer than before. She took a deep breath at his words and simply looked at him, trying to decide what to say in return. She knew that it was hard for him to be social or express his feelings, so having him say that meant a lot. After realizing that they had been standing there silent, she quickly distracted herself by looking around the room that would be hers for as long as she was here. It looked like a regular office complete with a desk, computer, bookshelf and a comfortable looking chair. The walls that were not attached to the hallway or another office and it had floor to ceiling windows, giving her a fantastic view. The furniture was all black and the walls were painted a burnt orange. Her favorite color combination. On the far wall was a couch, a coffee table and another couch, which she assumed for when she would meet with Captain Rogers.

"Thank you for bringing me to my new office Agent Ward. I appreciate it greatly. As of right now, I need to get to work."

"Shea," He sighed.

"Have a good day Agent Ward." She told him, wanting to shut the door in his face, however she waited for him to leave before shutting the door. Shea leaned against the door and took a deep breath. She had known that by coming here she ran a risk of running into him, however she didn't think that it would have been right off of the bat. It was her own fault, going against the rules and dating a fellow agent. Then their mission together happened and things were never the same again, but for some reason that wasn't just it... There was something off about him, something she couldn't quite place.

Shea took a few steps forward and placed her bag onto the empty book shelf before walking to her desk and sitting down. She turned on the computer, tapping her fingers on the desk as she impatiently waited for it to load. As soon as the computer finished booting up, she logged herself into the SHIELD database and began investigating. It didn't take her long to find the file on what they had been doing to Captain Rogers during his defrosting phase. The defrosting was routine, but the setting in which he woke up to caused her to raise a brow. Stupidly, they had created a setting in which he was still in the 1940's, even playing a baseball game that was recorded before he had even went off to war. Shea groaned at their general lack of common sense, putting a hand over her face and shaking her head.

Suddenly Shea wished that they would have called her a little bit before, she would have been able to tell them right from wrong! Hell, they could have even asked her father but apparently some clear thought was not put into how they wanted to wake him up. "Hmm," She stared at the screen, her concentration broken when a knock came at her door. Well, this was her moment of truth. Shea shut down the screen and stood up, glancing at the closed door for just a moment.. Straightening out her skirt, she put a smile on as she walked over and opened it for her visitors.

The smile on Shea's face didn't fade as she came face to face with Director Fury and Captain Rogers. "Director Fury, Captain Rogers." She stated in a friendly manner, looking back and forth from the two. It took all she had not to laugh a bit, Fury looked like a teacher that was bringing his student to the principal's office.

"Miss. Mattson, as you have already stated this is Captain Rogers," He gestured at Captain Rogers who merely nodded his head politely. "I just wanted him to meet with you for a few minutes while I meet with Agent Coulson." Shea nodded, hoping her grin didn't look as ridiculous as it felt.

"Well then, come in Captain." Shea moved off to the side to make way for him to enter. As he walked past her and into the room, a strange chill settled over her. Ignoring it, she noticed Fury had given her another nod before leaving the two of them alone. Shea closed the door slowly, breathing deeply before turning around and walking towards him. Captain Rogers still wore the same outfit as he did earlier when she saw the blur of him leaving the SHIELD offices. "You're more than welcome to sit down."

"No thank you. I'm perfectly fine standing." He stated harshly, clasping his hands together and holding them behind his back as any perfect soldier would.

"You don't trust me, do you?" She asked him. He didn't move his head, but his blue eyes piercings through her own was the only answer she needed. "Also, I'm Shea. No need to call me Miss. Mattson," Shea looked him over to see as if he was registering anything but his eyes were blank and his face was completely emotionless . She wanted to believe he was listening, but the look on his face said that he was not interested in anything that she was saying. "Listen. I've heard you've been through a lot today. I'm not entirely sure who's stupid idea it was to make it seem like you were still in the 1940's. Good in theory, bad in execution."

"How did you know about that?" Shea could see his shoulders tense up as his lips pressed together tightly.

"I know a lot more than I probably should Captain."

"Steve." He told her, a miniscule hint of kindness showing through. "If I'm going to call you Shea, then you should call me Steve."

"It's a deal then." She told him with a smile on her face. "I would offer you something to drink but I'm afraid that I just got here. "

"So that's your play? You're supposed to be a friend to me? Sorry, Miss. Mattson I don't believe it. I don't want to talk to anyone about this, if that's what you're here for. I'm not falling for anything. I dont care who you are or who you're supposed to be. I'm not doing it." He snapped, a bit of confusion mixed in his sharp tone. This time it was her green eyes piercings through his, not full of suspicion as his had previously been, but instead full of hurt.

" If anyone _had_ asked me, I'd tell them to just leave me be." A flash went through his eyes and he parted his lips as if he had more to say but there was a knock on the door and Director Fury walked into the room.

"Captain Rogers, we need to debrief you and send you off for your physical." He stated, nodding his head towards the door. Captain Rogers bowed his head and without another word, left the room. Director Fury looked at Shea before leaving, making sure he closed the door behind them. Shea took a deep breath before falling back onto the comfortable black leather couch. She closed her eyes, wanting to take a nap, but she had work and studying to do.

Shea was going to get to Captain Rogers one way or another.

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><p>By the time she was able to pull herself out of her research, it was time for her to make her way to dinner with Clint and Natasha. She pulled out her cell phone and checked to see if either one of them had backed out. Since she didn't hear from them, she knew that dinner was still on. Thankfully it was only a short distance to the SHIELD office building. Shea began gathering her things while making a mental note to buy a coffee maker and a mini fridge for her office. In addition, she needed to do something that would make this office space more roomy and a little less plain. Sure the color scheme was everything she imagined but it needed something a little more special to make it hers.<p>

Shea placed her gathered items into her bag before turning to leave the office and close the door. It was then that she noticed she couldn't lock the door behind her. "God damn it Ward." She cursed knowing that he had the key and she would have to go to him to get the key back. Shea groaned as she made her way down the hallway and towards the elevator, trying to think of a way she could obtain the key without having to talk to _him _again. She pressed the down button and entered the elevator. Once she got to the lobby, she exited the building and began walking to the restaurant. It didn't take her long at all to walk, making it to the Chinese food restaurant in mere minutes. Entering, she walked into the dining room and glanced around for two familiar faces. Immediately she saw Natasha, and rushed over to give her a hug. Initially, Shea and Natasha were not friendly with each other at all. This was hard for Clint, he was friends with them both and was always stuck in the middle of their arguing. After Shea's mission with Ward went wrong something changed for Natasha and the two had been close friends ever since, well as close of friends as Natasha could be with someone. Shea sat down as Natasha returned to her own seat next to Clint.

"So, how was your first day?" Clint asked with a smug look on his face.

"It was unique. I'm pretty sure Captain Rogers hates me." Shea stated.

"He was asleep for 70 years, can you blame him for being a bit cranky?" Natasha asked with a raised eyebrow.

Shea shook her head. "Not one bit."

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><p>Please feel free to share your thoughts by reviewing!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone! Here is chapter three! I've decided that i'm going to try and post every Friday! Thank you so much to all who favorited and followed this story! I love seeing the notifications in my email, they make my day! A special thank you to fluttershypegasus1 and guest for reviewing this last chapter! I love hearing what you guys think! Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter Three<p>

Once she had arrived at her apartment from the dinner with Clint and Natasha, she was pleasantly surprised to find that her apartment had been untouched in the several years that she had been away. Memories began filling her mind of all of the time that she had spent here studying to be a teacher. Shea had been homeschooled her entire life, learning from the best in SHIELD. It didn't take her long to finish high school and her accelerated teaching program was a piece of cake for her. Not everyone was able to be a teacher at 20.

The girl was half expecting to find her apartment occupied by someone else. Thankfully it was still as empty as she had left it with several of her larger items that she couldn't take across the country with her. Shea wouldn't be surprised if her father or Director Fury had been paying rent to keep the apartment hers. The apartment looked just like she left it, there was no dust or anything that seemed to be collecting everywhere in the time that she had been gone

The first thing that caught her attention was the fact that the heater had been turned on to a low setting. She remembered all of the issues that she had with her heater, and began to worry about how long the heater had been on. The worry in her mind had disappeared when she saw that her suitcase had been placed on her bed with a simple note from Clint. She didn't know how she forgot that Clint had brought her suitcase to her apartment.

Hope the place doesn't burn down from your old heater.

Good luck :)

-Clint

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. He was absolutely right, but she would never tell him that.

To say her apartment was nice would be an understatement. She didn't want the special treatment apartments that other SHIELD agents had. Shea wanted her own place with its own quirks, not anything perfect. She bought an apartment in her price range that was perfect and safe for her. The only problem with the place was the fact that her heater was ancient. Shea was surprised that the thing hadn't died in the time that she had been way. Clint always joked about her place catching on fire and Grant made a comment about it every chance he could. Trying to scare her out of living there, but it never worked. She lived in the apartment for as long as she stayed here. Sure Shea spent a few nights at her fathers and occasionally Grant's apartment but fit the most part she was in her own apartment.

Shea walked around her apartment, not a single thing had changed. She absolutely loved it just as much as she did when she first walked in. Even looking around the apartment now, there wouldn't be a single thing that she would change. However, there was one thing that was missing. Her television. The spot on the wall where the television once lay against was blank, except there was a small pink stickynote in its place.

Thanks for the free tv

-Clint

She rolled her eyes and shook her head before pulling out her phone from her pocket to send her _dear _brother a text.

_Thanks for the sticky note asshole. _

Shea tossed her phone onto her bed before opening her purple suitcase. She walked across the room and pulled out her dresser drawers. It didn't take her long to empty her suitcase into drawers, she then removed her work clothing and replaced them with a pair of light green pajama shorts and a loose grey t-shirt. She walked back over to the bed and pulled back the covers to make sure that nothing had crawled inside while she was away. Though she is sure that her father changed the sheets for her on occasion.

Thankfully.

Once Shea finished inspecting the bed, she reached the conclusion that there were no bugs inside of her bed that she saw or even wanted to think about. She laid down and grabbed her phone and saw that Clint had texted her back.

_That was a year and a half ago, get over it. It's a great tv. _

_I want it back._

_No. _Came his response. Shea rolled her eyes, it was the exact response that she was expecting, and she knew that it was the only response that he had thought about.

_Then you're buying me a new one. _

There was no response to her last text, she thought that it was a small victory on her part. Shea plugged in her phone and set her alarm for the next day. She rested her head on the pillow and closed her eyes before drifting off to sleep.

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><p>The following morning Shea woke up far too early for her liking.<p>

There were too many things to do in order to get her office up to her standards. She rolled out of bed and went to her small bathroom. Shea took a quick shower before placing on a black tulip skirt and a maroon collared blouse with a pair of black heels. She leaved her hair to dry into its natural messy curls. This morning, she was not in the mood to deal with her hair. After leaving her apartment she made her way to the store to purchase her mini fridge and her coffee maker. Then her office would be nearly complete. Shea wouldn't waste time at this early hour trying to find paintings for the office. That would come later when she wasn't trying to still be semi on time. Though she knew she could make her own hours and no one would care much.

Shea also reminded herself that she would need to find Agent Ward to give her the key to her office back, well to her. It's hard to ask for something back when it was never given to you in the first place.

When the store opened, she grabbed a red cart and made her way to the kitchen items. She grabbed the perfect single cup coffee brewing machine and a mini refrigerator that would be perfect for her home. Shea placed them into the cart and made her way to the check-out stands. She took them both into her hands and out of the cart before heading to the street, doing her best to balance each of her items and walking in her heels. It wasn't a far walk to her office, it was much closer to her house but it was a necessary thing for her.

Once she made her way into the SHIELD building she made her way to the elevator and to her office. As soon as she arrived at her door, she placed her hand on the handle and turned it to open the door. That was when she realized that the door was now locked. Shea groaned "Damn it Ward!" She said loudly kicking the door.

"Now what did that door do to you?" She heard a voice ask. Shea turned and looked down the hallway to find her father walking down towards her holding her keys in his hand.

"Thanks dad." She stated with a smile on his face

"I had a feeling that he would do that to you. So last night we changed your locks so now you have the only key to your office." He explained before handing her the keys. Shea grabbed them before embracing her father in a hug.

"Thank you." She pulled away and placed the key into the lock and pushed open the door to her office. Coulson grabbed the coffee maker as Shea pushed the mini fridge into the room.

"We might need to put you into training to keep your muscles working." He joked. Shea smiled and shook her head.

"I just carried both of these down the street a few blocks, in heels. I think I deserve to kick it a little ways." She stated with a little laugh.

"So you like your new place?"

"I love it. I just needed a few more me touches to it." She began opening up the boxes and getting them organized with their little pieces. It didn't take her long to decide to place the black mini fridge against the wall, and placing the coffee maker on top of it.

"And how did yesterday go?"

"You've been waiting this entire conversation to ask that haven't you?" Shea asked with a smile on her face. The look on her fathers reminded her of the photos she had seen of him at her grandmothers house of him as a small boy. He was doing his best to look professional but his obsession with

"You got to meet him before I did, and I still haven't met him yet." Phil stated.

"Yet, is the key word in that sentence. But trust me, he will probably enjoy your company more than mine." She said shaking her head slightly

"Not what you thought he was going to be?" He asked, Shea shook her head.

"No, not really. But I can't really blame the guy. He doesn't seem to want anyone's help. Which makes me feel better that I flew all the way across the country to do this." Shea stated trying her best to not raise her voice or let her frustrations show. She should have known that this job was not going to be as easy as she expected. Especially yesterday with him waking up. He had a normal response to what had happened. She didn't know what she was thinking through the fact that he would have been perfectly fine talking to her and she would solve all of the problems.

But this was not a fantasy of hers. She knew that she would have to work harder to gain the trust of Captain Rogers, if he ever came back to visit her.

"You're not here for nothing, you understand that right Shea?" Phil asked her. She nodded her head slightly. "You can always get back in the game." Her father stated. Shea opened her mouth to speak but her father knew that all she would say would be yelling, and he was right. "Before you say anything, Director Fury wants you back. I want you on this coast to see you more. You're the only family I have Shea. I just needed to put my two sense in."

"And is that what you want? Me staying here going on missions until I get shot again? Or do you want me here as a counselor for those who were in my situation before. Personally i'm a fan of being a kindergarten teacher. No one is telling me what to do and I get to not worry about being shot."

"What if he finds you when you are teaching? Do you want to harm those kids?"

"Dad, Natasha and I have been over this with you. I wasn't his target." Shea said with a sigh. Her mind was doing its best not to think about this topic that they had gone over and over again. She knew that it was just him being an overprotective father. Coulson nodded his head.

"I know you guys have told me this, but I just can't help but worry."

"You got me into SHIELD in the first place." She said with a slight smile on his face, not wanting to be upset with her father only a day into her trip.

"Fine, then blame me. I've got to head out and start my day, i'll see you for dinner." Coulson kissed his daughter's forehead before turning and leaving the room. As soon as he left the room, she walked over to the couch and sat down. The last thing she wanted to do was get into this same old argument as she always did with him. Shea was growing tired of the same argument, he wasn't there and didn't know half of what her and Agent Ward has experienced. It was only after she got home and woke up that she shared what had happened to her with Natasha. It was then that the two realized they had more in common that they had originally thought. She became and older sister figure to her and encouraged her to follow her heart by teaching. Shea thought it was just because of the fact that she never got out of her situation, but then again Shea could be pulling this thought out of her ass.

For the time being, Shea was at peace.

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><p>Eventually Shea made herself a cup of coffee and settled in to her desk. She continued her research on what to tell Captain Rogers on what he missed and more information on what happened to him in the past. Now, she could legally get her hands on all of the things that she wanted to know about when she was younger. Shea grabbed her coffee cup and held it to her lips taking a deep breath, she continued to read post notes on how Captain Rogers was defrosted and what precisely happened when he woke up from his ice nap. Just as she went to take a sip of her now cold coffee, a soft knock came at the door. Shea raised an eyebrow and set down her coffee cup on her desk. She stood up and walked over to the door before hesitatingly opening it.<p>

As she opened the door, she saw Captain Rogers. A polite smile crossed her face. "Good Morning Captain Rogers." She stated. He gave her a nod.

"Ma'am." He stated. As she glanced at him, she knew that something was different from the Steve today and the one that she had met yesterday. His clothing was more modern, though it still had conservative hints to it. His pants were higher waisted and the button up shirt he wore was plain dark blue. Her smile faded slightly.

"Captain, I asked you to call me Shea." He nodded his head, his lips turned upwards slightly into a smile.

"I remember quite well. Its the 1940's manners."

"You don't need to apologize for that. It's perfectly fine. You can come in if you want too. But something tells me that you are not really here to chat." Shea said to him. Captain Rogers made his way into the room and Shea closed the door behind them.

"Well, I am here to chat. That, and Fury ordered me to meet with you once a day." He said with a slightly devastated tone in his voice. Shea nodded her head slightly.

"Did he over hear us yesterday?" She asked him, he shrugged his shoulders. If there was one thing that Shea knew, it was that nothing escaped Director Fury. Shea smiled and sat down on one of the couches in her office. "You know, I grew up around SHIELD my entire life. My mom left my father and I when I was six years old. I moved from my home in San Francisco to New York. When I was about 15 years old, another potential agent and I stole a car from the underground garage. It was my brilliant idea. It was a friday night, my father was off on a mission. I had nothing better to do. We went on a joy ride, it was fun. The two of us were out for hours." A small smile appeared on her face. "When we got back from our outing, we parked the car in the same spot. We were so happy that no one had spotted us. I wasn't home for an hour before Director Fury came knocking on my door with my friend in tow. He busted our dumb asses." She looked at Steve and saw a small smile appearing on his face. "Long story short, Fury knows everything. Even if he can't see with both eyes."

"You've been with SHIELD your entire life?" He asked.

"That is all you got from that story?" Shea asked him, he raised an eyebrow and parted his lips to speak but she cut him off. "Relax Captain Rogers, i'm just joking, please take a seat."

"I've already told you to call me Steve." He stated. Shea nodded her head giving him a smile.

"Then we are even. Would you like some coffee? With my brand new coffee maker?" She offered. He nodded his head.

"Yeah, i'd like that a lot, can I help?" He offered. Shea shook her head. He leaned back on the couch.

"Thank you though. It's quite easy. This machine will make just a single cup. I could have bought a whole pot though. I love coffee. This is more convenient and it keeps the pot hotter longer." She began making him his cup of coffee with a push of a button. As Shea was doing so, she could feel his glance on her. It was one of curiosity and nothing more. She couldn't help but let herself give a small smile. The machine in front of her made its semi high pitched noise so she knew that it was done. She turned her attention back to the male who was patiently sitting on the couch, glancing at the machine with such curiosity. "Cream and sugar? I took it from the break room down the hall, shh don't tell." She gave him a playful wink. Steve gave her another smile before shaking his head.

"No thanks, i'm fine with it black." He told her.

"And why is that?" Shea asked walking over to her desk and grabbing her own coffee mug. She walked back over to the machine and handed Steve his mug before making herself a cup of coffee.

"Back during the war, a lot of the sugar that we had was infested with ants. We were lucky to find some that didn't have ants in them. Black coffee is an acquired taste though." Shea nodded slightly before placing cream and sugar into her own cup. She walked over to the other couch and sat down across from Steve. He was silent, glancing down at his coffee mug. He took a sip before taking a deep breath and looked down at the mug.

"Fury wants me here every day for at least an hour. I dont need a babysitter, I don't need anyone to help me get through this."

"I wont be your babysitter. I'm just here to help you, even if you think that you don't need help. Everyone needs a friend now and again."

"I'm 93 years old, I think I can handle myself." He stated with a sigh, glancing down at the black tiled floor. The tone of his voice caused her to think that this was the first time Captain Rogers had realized that he was no longer the 26 year old that fought in World War II.

"And how do you know I'm not 93?" Shea stated raising an eyebrow at him. His glance shot up and he looked across at her.

"Are you?"

"No I just told you about a joy ride I took when I was 15, but do you get what I'm getting at? You can't keep pushing people away before you give them a chance. Shutting people out isn't good for you." Steve stayed silent sitting in front of her. Shea reached over and grabbed her coffee cup from the table.

"I'm sorry about yesterday." He stated leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. His blue eyes glanced into her green ones. All she could see was confusion, anger, apologetic and sorrow. It was true, this man had been through more than anything that she could ever imagine. Shea wasn't trying to pretend to be something that she is not, she wasn't going to lie to her childhood idol and say that she was something she wasn't. But she also didn't want to tell him that he was her childhood idol and think that she was a freak. Shea thought it would be much better that her father shared that information.

"Don't worry about it. It was a perfectly human reaction to finding out that you've been asleep for such a long time. Not only that but you can't push people away. Weather you like it or not, i'm agreeing with what Directo Fury said. Meet with me once a week, you don't have to talk if you don't want too. Hell, you can sit in here and read for all I care."

"How about both. I can ask you questions if I need too and we can chat. But I can mostly catch up what happened while I was asleep." Steve stated, Shea nodded her head slightly.

"That sounds good to me." She stated with a slight smile on her face. Shea reached forward and grabbed her coffee cup before taking a sip. A grumble in her stomach made itself present, Steve looked up and raised an eyebrow at the noise. She felt the heat begin to rise up on her cheeks. "What do you say we go get some lunch?"

"That would be nice. I need to re discover some places to eat in this town."

"Well, don't worry your pretty little head, I can help you with that. Shall we go?" Shea asked him. Steve stood up and nodded his head slightly.

"Yeah, sounds great." He walked to the door and opened it for you. "After you," He stated politely. She smiled and walked through the door, she waited for him to join her before walking with her to the elevator.

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><p>Let me know what you think!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Hello all!

I am so sorry for the delay in posting this, finals week can be quite challenging. I would like to thank all of those who favorited and followed this story, in addition I would like to thank those who reviewed this! Also, I would like to clear something up. Clint is not Coulson's son, he is an elder brother figure to Shea hence her calling him her older brother. I'm going to try and have the fifth chapter, where we get into the Avengers up before next friday, but with the holidays unfortunately I cannot promise much.

Anyways, enjoy!

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><p>Chapter Four<p>

After Shea arrived back at SHIELD from her lunch with Steve, she couldn't help but feel better about packing up and moving out here. Yesterday had been a little bit difficult for her in finding out that he didn't want her help, but in talking with him at lunch and prior she realized that he was just someone who got lost in a mess of things that led him to be frozen in ice for 70 years. He was just as she imagined that he would be. Steve even spoke like he was still in 1940 and his gentlemanly manners showed through as well. Shea walked into her office and sat down at her computer. For the moment, there was nothing for her to do. The last thing that she wanted to do was to overwhelm Steve with an abundance of articles to read. As it was, she was going to take him to get his own cell phone tomorrow. He explained to her that Fury thought it was best for him to have one. Steve was having a hard time picturing a phone that was small and one that he could fit into his pocket. When Shea showed him her own cell phone he was amazed with it, and he didn't want to break it. He held the small device with such care, before examining it. She explained to him that if he pushed the button at the bottom it would turn on. Shea shook her head at the memory from lunch, given her prior experience with Steve today's lunch was much more enjoyable.

She leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath, at the moment she didn't exactly know what to do. Before she moved to Monterey, this was when she got into trouble down at SHIELD. A smirk crossed her face. That was exactly what she was going to do. Shea stood up from her seat and opened the first drawer in her desk to see if her badge was in there. Thankfully it was. She grabbed the badge and placed it around her neck before heading out of her office, shutting the door behind her. She walked down the hallway and into the elevator before going down and entering the underground of SHIELD. Shea heard a rumor that the triskellion would have voice recognition but for now all this elevator had was a code. When the elevator stopped, she typed in her familiar numbers and the elevator doors opened for her. People were buzzing all around her, busy with the tasks that were at hand. Majority of them seemed to be on a serious mission to get something done, but as usual some were not so busy.

Shea exited the elevator and walked amongst the other agents that belonged to SHIELD. She allowed herself to wander, see what things had changed and what things managed to stay the same in the time that she had been away.

"And what are you doing down here, Shea?" She heard a familiar voice question. Shea stopped and turned around, though she knew the voice it still frightened her from when she first met the assassin. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I got bored."

"That is a dangerous habit for you, Mattson." Natasha stated folding her arms across her chest. The younger woman nodded her head slightly, knowing the many times that she did indeed get into trouble while she was bored. If she didn't have these tendencies then a lot of things wouldn't have happened such as her and Grant's joy ride, using Natasha's phone to prank call Clint and Agent May or even the time that she managed to shave off half of Agent Sitwell's hair, back when he had hair. The list could go on and on. "What's on your mind at the moment? Sending Agent Ward to the wrong place to mess him up on his next mission?"

"Now that you mention it," Shea started, Natasha gave her a look and she shook her head, assuring Nat that she was in no way planning on sabotaging Grant's mission. She liked to play pranks, but something told her that this one would end her back up in Fury's office with Ward sitting in the chair next to her. "Where are you headed?" She asked changing the subject entirely.

"Poland, i'm going to have a date with Georgi Luchkov." Natasha spoke, Shea raised and eyebrow knowing that this time was a good moment to question her about her and Clint's relationship, or lack of relationship but she was also aware how serious Nat was about her missions.

"You have fun with that don't be too hard on him. I'm going to go back upstairs and stare at the wall for a while." She stated with a semi sarcastically. Natasha shook her head.

"You could have been assigned to this mission too."

"I'm not an agent." Shea stated not wanting to go into this again with anyone.

"You just keep telling yourself that" Natasha stated leaving Shea alone in a crowd of agents. She shook her head before turning around and heading back to the elevator and going towards her office. Thankfully, she managed to escape the swarm of agents before anyone else noticed her. Once she took a seat at her desk she debated on what what else she could do to pass the time. Glancing at the clock on her computer, she noticed that her normal time was almost up. Apparently her and Steve spent longer at lunch than she had originally thought.

Shea began packing up her things thankful that she was carrying one bag out tonight instead of her morning balancing act. As she finished packing things into her bag, a knock at the door came. She turned and looked to see her father standing in the doorway. "Are you ready to go?" He asked her. Shea nodded her head, relieved that her father was not canceling on their dinner date.

"Let's go." Shea stated with a smile. She followed behind her father and closed the door to her office. It wasn't a far walk to the pizza place from SHIELD, it was a few blocks down and towards her home. She could remember ordering this pizza when she was studying for her midterms and finals. Shea would be locked inside of her room for days. Clint, Ward and her father would each take turns making sure that she was alive. Coulson always brought her pizza to cheer her up and try to let her mind relax for a few moments. Which worked half of the time.

Once she arrived at the parlor, it smelt exactly how she remembered it. She walked over to a booth and sat down with her father sitting across from her. "So, hows the cellist?" Shea asked her father as soon as he got comfortable. His daughter had been dying to ask him that question since she arrived back in New York. From what Shea knew, the two were pretty serious but then again they were living across the country.

"She is fine. I plan on heading out there to visit in a few weeks once I get back from my next mission." He told her.

"And when are you leaving for that?" She questioned glancing down at the menu that didn't seem to have changed in the time that she was away. She smiled, already knowing what she wanted to order.

"In a few days."

"Where?" She pressed further.

"Shea, you know I can't tell you that." He confessed to her. Shea nodded her head knowing that he couldn't but she liked to try anyways.

"I know," She assured him. Part of her wondered if he would stay an agent all of his life. Part of her knew that asking him that question would be stupid, she already knew the answer. He would be an agent until he died, that or until Fury forced him to retire. Which one came first was a toss up.

The rest of evening went by smoothly and Shea once again found herself in her comfortable bed inside of her apartment.. Shea enjoyed spending time with her father before his next mission. She had forgotten how close her and her father were. It had been difficult living in Monterey with no friends or family, but she managed. Shea just hoped that by coming back she would be able to go back to her job with ease but now, she wasn't entirely sure how easy the transition back to school would be. She knew that she was getting ahead of herself. The girl had only been back here for a few days and she was already thinking of how hard moving back was? Something was clearly wrong with her. She leaned over and grabbed her phone sending a text message to her fellow kindergarten teacher who was looking after her class while she was away asking to have a Skype session with her students. Once she received an agreeing message back, she settled into bed and let herself fall to sleep.

Shea received a call from her students just before she was about to head to lunch. She was greeted by all of their happy and smiling faces. Their teacher returned it with one of their own, she suddenly remembered why she wanted to become a teacher in the first place, and not a SHIELD agent.

"Why don't we show Miss. Shea what we made for her." Her fellow teacher, Miss. Katie stated. At the same time all fifteen students began showing their artwork up to the computer that was in their classroom and began explaining to her what each of their drawings were. Shea wished that she was able to give Katie her address so that the children could send their photos to her but she knew that it was too much of a risk.

"I love them all! Thank you guys so much I cannot wait to see them in person." Shea exclaimed from her desk in the high tower. Before she could ask how the children were, a soft knock came at her door. She turned her head to find Captain Rogers standing in her doorway. She gave him a simple nod before directing her attention back to the children. "I hate to cut this short but I have to go. I promise that we will talk again soon!" She told them before hearing their "awes" and "Goodbyes". Shea hung up the phone.

"What was that?" Steve asked motioning to her desktop.

"It's called video chatting. Its a way for me to communicate with my students in Monterey." Shea explained to him. Steve nodded his head slowly.

"Are you ready to go get your phone?" She asked and he nooded his head.

"After you."

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><p>Let me know what you think!<p>

And happy holidays!


	5. Chapter 5

Hey all!

I am so sorry for the delay! The holidays were crazy for me! I just started back to school and for some reason that gives me more time to write! Thank you so much to Muirgen79 and MidnightPenguin for reviewing! I loved reading them! Thank you to those who also favorited and followed this story! It helps me to write faster! I will do my best to post next Friday!

Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter Five<p>

Several days had passed since Shea took Steve to get his first cell phone. He had gotten a cell phone like device from SHIELD that would inform him of upcoming missions and such but Shea thought it would be wise of him to get a personal cell phone in addition as well. Shea placed it on her own cell phone plan, when Steve refused, she insisted, his compromise was to have. It would help her in the long run anyways. Shea sat in her office working on some assignments that she had thought of for her students once she arrived back at school.

A knock at her door caused her to jump. She looked across to her door and saw Agent Ward leaning in her doorway. Shea took a deep breath, sighing slightly. She knew that there had to be a reason as to why he was standing in her doorway. The agent simply smiled and walked into her office. He sat down in the chair across from her. Shea glanced at him. "Can I help you?" Shea asked.

"I want to apologize." He told her. Shea raised an eyebrow at him. She wanted to be suspicious, she wanted to not believe him, but the look on his face told her that he was telling the truth. She nodded her head slightly, telling him to continue. "I should have reached out to you when you were away, and I also shouldn't have not given you your office key, and been a dick."

"You are a dick."

"I am aware of that. How many times have people told you that?" Shea questioned him. He lowered his head and chuckled slightly.

"Too many more than I can count, and several times by you as well." She said shaking her head.

"How about I buy you lunch and we can have a chat." He stated. But she knew it was too late. She had already let him in. From moment one when she realized that she would be coming back to New York and back to SHIELD, she knew that Grant Ward would be there. The one thing that she warned herself of was to not let him close, to not let herself fall for him again. That was the worst thing that she could do.

After everything he did.

It was his fault that the mission went wrong.

It was his fault that she is no longer a SHIELD agent. She knew all of this, but looking across at the man who had been in her life for years, she just couldn't bring herself to say no. She went to speak when she heard a knock at her door. Shea and Grant both glanced over to the door. She did her best to not let out a sigh of relief, she was saved by the star spangled man with a plan.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked not moving from the spot from the door. Shea shook her head and she swore she heard Grant groan at the interruption.

"Oh no, don't worry about it Steve. Agent Ward and I were just talking. Have you two met?" She said doing her best not to rush through her words. The former agent stood up rom her desk and walked towards Steve.

"No I don't think we have." Steve said walking towards Grant who stood up from his seat.

"Grant Ward." He stated as he shook the older man's hand. "It's an honor to meet you Captain." Steve simply nodded her head, and she swore his cheeks redden slightly. If there was something that Shea learned about the famous Captain America was that he did not like to be recognized at Captain America. It was either that, or Shea saw the little kid from Brooklyn still inside of him. She wasn't sure if she was the only one who could see that, or not, but she didn't want to bring it up to him just yet. It was something that she didn't think of when she thought of meeting Captain America, but somehow when she was hanging around with Steve she forgot about his alter ego. Well, most of the time it was hard too when he was asking her questions about things he didn't know of.

"Thanks." He stated simply. "I just came to have my daily meeting with Shea." He told Grant. Shea nodded her head.

"I'll take a rain check on that offer Grant."

"Okay." He said before nodding to her and Steve, heading out of the room. As soon as Shea was sure that he was gone from the hallway. She felt herself relax. Steve raised an eyebrow at her actions.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice was laced with concern. Shea nodded her head slightly.

"Yeah, dealing with an ex is just exhausting. Especially that one."

"Let me guess, he's the guy you stoke a car with." Steve stated a small smile appearing on his face. Shea nodded her head slightly.

"Yeah, was it that obvious?"

"Well, I could feel the tension all the way down the hall at the elevator." He joked. Shea's eyes widened and she playfully smacked Steve's chest. But as she suspected, it did more harm to her than it did to him. Though she knew that her hand was not broken, it stung a little.

"Is that all you got?" He asked.

"I'm not in the gym every day, Rogers" She said, letting a smile of her own appear on her face.

"Then come and join me tonight." He said quickly before pausing for a long moment. Shea kept the smile on her face, wanting to assure him. Something told her that he didn't entirely plan on saying the words that came out of his mouth. "I train at the Old Gym on 42nd. It was something Fury told me about. It reminds me of being back home." He explained.

"I've been to that gym before. It's right up your alley Steve."

"You know, if you are going to be back here you might want to consider training again." Steve stated as Shea nodded her head.

"Thank you, Steve for your concern, but I know how to protect myself if need be. Now was there a specific reason why you came for your 'appointment'." She asked him trying to change the subject.

"Lunch, I wanted to see if you wanted to go to the pizza place you were talking about yesterday."

"Sure." She said walking over to her desk and grabbing her purse and heading out the door with Steve.

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><p>Shea was starving.<p>

She had been for about an hour now, wanting nothing more than Thai food. Since she and Steve passed by her favorite one on their way to pizza. Instead of doing something about it. She simply stared at her television. Relaxing from her day at work. It wasn't a hard day. She had much more stressful ones when she was an agent than today, but she knew that she was being just plain lazy. She finally got up off of her couch and grabbed her cell phone. Just as she was about to call her usual place, she received a phone call herself. It was her father. "Hello?" Shea asked. The voice that was on the other end was her fathers, but it was lower and more cautious than she had ever heard before.

"Shea, I need you to do something for me." His voice was scaring her.

"Of course. What's up?" Shea asked trying to change the tone of her father's voice, but nothing happened. His voice was still the same.

"If you see Barton, don't engage with him. He's been compromised." She wanted to respond to be able to tell her father that she understood the words that he was saying but nothing came. Her head was still trying to wrap around the fact that Clint was gone. What had happened since a few days ago? Shea hung up the phone. Her mind was stuck on the fact that one of her closest friends was gone, for the moment at least.

Her hunger craving was gone.

She grabbed her keys and her phone and exited her apartment; heading to the one place she knew would help her to be at ease.

The old gym.

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><p>Please Review and let me know what you think.<p>

Next chapter! The Avengers!


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